Mummification - Tumblr Posts
Why have we as a society decided that it is perfectly alright to find and dig up the dead bodies of Ancient Egyptians, simply because its interesting.
Now I think that Ancient Egypt is interesting, infact, I have previously taken interest in the Ancient Egyptians beliefs, why they were buried the way they were, how they lived ect.
HOWEVER
I recently went to a museum as they had an Ancient Egypt exhibit, I enjoyed my experience but walked away with a dilemma. My dilemma had begun from about half way through exhibit, 2 entire rooms of the exhibit, filled with empty outter coffins, empty inner coffins and mummified human remains.
Why does anyone think it is alright to dig up dead bodies, take them from their tombs and leave their wrapped up dead bodies on display for anyone to see.
These were people, walking, talking, breathing human beings. They worked, the loved, they ate, they drank, hell they even wore makeup.
I don't think that many people would want their dead body to be placed in a museum after being dug up in an excavation.
These people have been separated from the things left in their coffins, such as prayers and heart scarabs, to protect them in the after life, their organs separated from them. Their bodies having been scanned to see what is beneath the wrappings.
One such mummy that I saw, was that of a girl, a mere 16 year old girl, who passed from disease. I stood there for a second, staring at the wrappings of her body through the glass, an unnamed, unknown girl. I tried to imagine how she would feel finding out that her body was on display, that anyone could see the her wrappings, her body not far beneath.
On the opposite side of the room, on a stand under glass was a scarab, taken from beneath wrappings, taken from the body of a person who likely believed that it could protect them in the afterlife.
On top of all of this. Many people around me were taking photos of the mummies. There is only one arguement that I have heard to "justify" taking pictures.
"Well history needs to be remembered"
History can be remembered without having to take apart someones grave, History can be remembered without having to put someones body on display, History can be remembered and taught about without disrespecting dead people.
I wish to hear what others think about about this topic.
SO
I will attach some pictures I took, no images of mummifued remains will be shown as I did not take any. However grainy filters have been added as my reflection is in many of them and I prefer to not expose my real face online.
The pictures consist of:
Organ Jars
A portrait of a man
Inner coffins (the smaller ones)
Outter coffins (the bigger ones)
A Heart scarab
A page from the book of the dead
Archaeology
(Original Handmade Book Art Collage: 2 Elements)
Mummified snek that I couldn't id for the lord's sake
It lost a bit of colour after I mummified it, but here is the fella before mummification!
If anyone haves any thoughts on what species it might be, I'm very willing to listen to your ideas! So far I think it is a Montpellier juvenile, but I'm unsure bcs of the patterns on it's back (':